Having an efficient and aesthetically pleasing Web site is becoming a crucial part of operating a business; and for small businesses that don’t have the luxury of spending thousands of dollars on one, it’s even more important to get it right the first time.
Montreal-based nurun – a global interactive agency that helped conglomerates like L’Oreal, Evian and General Motors transform their Web sites into efficient moneymakers – has a top 10 list of traits of an effective small-business Web site.
From knowing your customer, investing in a professional-looking site and providing customers with all the necessary information, to allowing online comments, questions and feedback and building your Web site to see yourself, the list offers a little bit of common sense that is crucial for small businesspeople looking to branch out to the Web.
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For Dawn Dixon, president of I Do Details in Cranston, an event and wedding planning agency, establishing her own Web site was part of starting her business a year ago. Dixon is still working on her site, but said she hopes it will be up and running by the fall.
“Nowadays, for most people starting a business, it’s on their checklist,” she said. “Early on, people had to have their names in the Yellow Pages and now it’s a new tool – it’s almost the first place people go, and it will increase my visibility.”
Exposure is something that also appealed to Herman deKoe, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Providence, when he decided to put up a site for the local office. Now he has all of the organization’s history and background on the Web site, as well as photos of past projects, contact numbers and other useful information.
“I do think it’s clearly happening all over the place, and if you want to be a part of it, you need to join in,” deKoe said. “It’s another tool to get the word out. If used efficiently, it can be an enormous, powerful means to communicate our goals, our needs and our work opportunities.”
Just like a business’ storefront is a preview of what’s inside that people might want to purchase, so is a Web site, according to Laurénce Lafforgue, director of strategy and client services at nurun. And for businesses that depend on reaching a large or international consumer base, having a bad Web site could be fatal.
“Not having an effective Web site is just like having a store with a door that is not closing properly, and a façade that is falling apart,” she said. “People judge your business by your site,” and if the site isn’t as good as it could be, people might think, “maybe the company doesn’t have it together.”
Lafforgue said consumers don’t widely expect every small businessperson to be a Web site-constructing whiz, but if they don’t know how to start a site, they should hire a consultant who can. Most consultants will work with clients to design and construct a site, and then teach them how to update it and make changes so the business owner is self-sufficient.
Just like a business card, said Lafforgue, your Web site speaks for you as a sort of first impression in some cases and is like an advertisement.
“You look at your Web site as a selling tool,” she said. “You have to be careful about what you’re saying and how you want to seduce your customer.” Even if consumers aren’t purchasing directly online, research shows that they are definitely checking a company’s Web site for products before they physically visit the store, she said.
“We should think of it as selling,” said deKoe of the Habitat site. “We are selling the opportunity for people to participate” in building a home.
Although Dixon said her planning business is mainly dependent on personal contact and interaction, she said her Web site will also sell her and her business to prospective clients.
Lafforgue stressed that money is especially an issue with small businesses, and there are options to building your own site if money is tight. For one client, Lafforgue said she recommended linking to a larger search engine, Yahoo Shopping. Other times, she said, nurun has worked with clients to devise Internet solutions, and then has recommended smaller Web-design firms to do the work, to save the client money. If you can afford it, however, she strongly advises having your own site.
“The consumer will judge you, and this is your chance to make a good impression,” she said. “Consumers go to Web sites with a purpose, and if you supply them with what they’re looking for, and allow them to do what they want,” the site will have served its purpose.
Lafforgue said that a successful business Web site is a balance of striking an emotional connection to the customer and functionality. It must be appealing and easy to navigate, but include all the necessary information to satisfy the consumer’s needs, she said.
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